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Three With a Difference

We are always interested in the different music that people produce. What makes one person choose rap and another pop, acoustic or reggae. Many young people starting out are influenced by what they hear in the charts of course – but to buck the trend and carve out your own musical path takes real courage. This month we are highlighting three young artists featured regularly on BBC Music Introducing in Norfolk who are all doing their own thing.

Oli Brown comes from rural Norfolk and it seems as soon as he picked up the guitar he found himself playing Blues. This year he celebrates his 10th year in the business and is still recognised as one of the finest of his generation. Starting out as a solo act he quickly gained attention with his first two albums, winning Best Male Vocalist and Best Young Artist at the 2010 British Blues Award. Since then he’s performed at Glastonbury and played guitar for John Mayall. Along the way he formed his own band RavenEye that gave him the chance to develop a more Rock sound. 2018, though, sees him back on the road with his own Blues tour right around the UK.

In another genre, Rob Milne has just released his first ever solo jazz EP, also called Rob Milne. Rob’s expertise with the sax means he’s been drafted in to play in a whole host of bands over the years. Now, though, he feels it’s time to strike out on his own. And what beautiful music he makes. Soft, melodic, atmospheric, timeless. This multi-instrumentalist plays all the music on his new release showing the full range of his talents.

Finally a new name on the scene. Ida Mae. Actually this was the name that Chris Turpin used for his very first band a decade ago. That morphed into Kill It Kid with his partner Steph and (if you’re still with me!) the two have now returned to Ida Mae. Throughout that time they have honed a very distinct loud Americana Country sound. Chris and Steph have laid low for a while recording an album in Nashville and touring the States. Now they’re back in the UK and hitting the summer Festival scene ahead of an upcoming album launch. If you’ve not come across this duo before be prepared to be knocked off your feet with their power vocals and brilliant guitar licks.

It’s exciting to receive the music we do on the show – but when it’s something a little bit out of the ordinary, from people who have chosen a different route and are musically at the top of their game, it feels very special indeed.